Aligarh (film)

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Aligarh
AligarhFilmPoster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Hansal Mehta
Written by Apurva Asrani
Screenplay byApurva Asrani
Story byApurva Asrani
Ishani Banerjee
Produced bySunil Lulla
Shailesh R Singh
Sandip Ssingh
Starring Manoj Bajpayee
Rajkummar Rao
Ashish Vidyarthi
CinematographySatya Rai Nagpaul
Edited byApurva Asrani
Music byKaran Kulkarni
Production
companies
Eros Entertainment
Karma Pictures
Release dates
  • 4 October 2015 (2015-10-04)(Busan) [1]
  • 26 February 2016 (2016-02-26)(India)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryIndia
Language Hindi
Budget₹11 crore
Box office₹4.27 crore

Aligarh is a 2015 Indian Hindi- language biographical drama film directed by Hansal Mehta and written by Apurva Asrani. It stars Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao in the lead roles.

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the 20th Busan International Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation. The film was released worldwide on 26 February 2016 to critical acclaim. [2] [3] [4] [5] Bajpayee won critical acclaim and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ramchandra Siras.

The biographical drama performed poorly at the box office. During its second weekend, the film earned ₹14.8 crore ($2.15 million), bringing its cumulative total to over ₹50 crore ($7.25 million). In the United States, Aligarh garnered $458,000 across 121 screens during its second weekend, raising its U.S. earnings to $1.25 million. [6] The movie collected ₹4.27 crore, despite a budget of ₹11 crore. [7]

Plot

Set in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, it is the true story of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, a professor of Marathi and the head of the Classical Modern Indian Languages Faculty at the famed Aligarh Muslim University.

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalized sexual activities "against the order of nature," which included homosexual acts. On July 2, 2009, the Delhi High Court declared Section 377 unconstitutional, effectively decriminalizing homosexuality.

On February 8, 2010, in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras (Manoj Bajpayee), an esteemed Marathi professor at Aligarh Muslim University, returned home at night in a rickshaw. Later, Siras and the rickshaw puller went to his apartment, where two TV journalists forcibly entered and filmed Siras engaging in a consensual act with the man. One journalist was armed with a stick, while the other carried a camera. This premeditated sting operation led to Siras’s suspension, and the story made local headlines.

The case drew the attention of Deepak Sebastian (Rajkummar Rao), a Delhi-based journalist eager for a breakthrough story. With the support of his boss Nameeta (Dilnaz Irani), Deepak traveled to Aligarh to investigate. Meanwhile, protests erupted at the university over Siras's suspension. His colleague, Professor Sridharan (K.R. Parmeshwar), pressured him into writing a letter expressing embarrassment over the incident in hopes of retaining his position. Despite this, Siras faced widespread ostracism, denial of medical treatment, and eventual termination. The university also issued him a legal notice to vacate his residence within seven days, cutting off his electricity despite protests.

Deepak, disturbed by the blatant injustice, uncovered evidence suggesting Siras was the victim of a planned operation. Though initially reluctant, Siras eventually confided in Deepak, alleging that jealousy among colleagues motivated the smear campaign. He recounted how two individuals stormed his apartment armed with a camera and sticks, filmed him, and physically assaulted him, followed by four colleagues entering without permission.

Back in Delhi, gay rights activists Anjali Gopalan (Nutan Surya) and Arvind Narayan (Ishwak Singh) offered legal support, confident after the Delhi High Court's Section 377 ruling. Siras was represented by Advocate Anand Grover (Ashish Vidyarthi), a key figure in the earlier decriminalization case. Forced to leave his university-provided housing, Siras moved to private accommodation.

Legal proceedings began in March 2010. The university presented the coerced letter of embarrassment as evidence, while Siras’s colleagues refused further assistance. Deepak pursued leads, suspecting that Irfan (Prashant Kumar), the rickshaw puller present that night, was part of the conspiracy. However, Siras expressed trust and affection for Irfan.

In court, the prosecution focused on framing Siras’s consensual relationship as immoral and criminal. Despite this, Siras eventually won the case, and the court ordered his reinstatement. Deepak congratulated Siras, promising to celebrate together. Tragically, the next day, Siras was found dead in his apartment. Police discovered traces of poison in his blood but ruled out foul play.

A few years later, the Supreme Court reinstated Section 377, re-criminalizing homosexuality in India.

Cast

Production

Govinda was Hansal Mehta's first choice for the role of Ramchandra Siras, before Manoj Bajpayee was cast. [8] The film was shot in various parts of Uttar Pradesh including Aligarh, Gorakhpur, Agra, Bareilly and Greater Noida (C-Block; Sector – Gamma 1). Wherein Greater Noida a small indoor sequence was shot for 3–4 days by Rajkumar Rao. [9]

Reception

Aligarh had its European première at the 59th BFI London Film Festival on 10 October 2015. [10] The response was generally superlative and the film garnered excellent reviews. Screen International in its review called it a "A subtle, sensitive take on a controversial real-life court case involving the victimization of a gay college professor, Aligarh underscores the growing strength and diversity of Indian independent cinema". [11]

The British Film Institute, in its 'Whats On' review of Aligarh called it "Probably the best film yet on the Indian gay male experience, Hansal Mehta directs a riveting and nuanced tale that is as touching as it is powerful." [12] Aligarh had its India première in Mumbai at the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival on 30 October 2015. [13] It also has the honour of being the only Indian film to open the festival since its inception. The response was once again overwhelming. Meenakshi Shedde, South Asia Consultant to the Berlin Film Festival and award-winning critic, had this to say about in her Mid-Day review: "Aligarh is masterfully directed: it is that rare film that courageously stands for human rights, including those of homosexuals, yet offers a quiet, distilled perspective." [14] Columnist Aseem Chhabra in his rediff.com review said "Aligarh is a very important film, a milestone in the history of Indian cinema that should start the much-needed conversation about how India treats a visible and yet often ignored minority group." [15]

Gay rights activist and editor of Bombay Dost magazine, Ashok Row Kavi, in his Firstpost.com review called Aligarh "a masterpiece of cinematic skills" and went on to say "What Mehta and writer Apurva Asrani have done is pluck out a commonplace professor in a commonplace university and weave a true life story into a tapestry of terrifying, compelling drama." [16] Indian Express gave 3.5 rating out of 5. [2]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
2016 10th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Best Actor Manoj Bajpayee Won [17]
[18]
Jagran Film Festival Best ActorWon [19]
2017 18th IIFA Awards Best Supporting Actor Rajkumar Rao Nominated [20]
62nd Filmfare Awards Best Actor (Critics) Manoj Bajpayee Won [21]
Best Supporting Actor Rajkumar Rao Nominated [22]
23rd Screen Awards Best Actor (Critics) Manoj Bajpayee Nominated [23]
Best Supporting Actor Rajkumar Rao Nominated
17th Zee Cine Awards Best Actor (Critics) Manoj Bajpayee Nominated [24]
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male Rajkumar Rao Nominated
Stardust Awards Best Actor (Editor's Choice) Manoj Bajpayee Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Rajkumar Rao Nominated

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Hansal MEHTA (8 August 2009). "BIFF.KRㅣ6–15 October, 2016". Biff.kr. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Aligarh movie review: Manoj Bajpayee gives a brilliant performance, quiet and affecting". The Indian Express. 26 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Namrata Joshi (26 February 2016). "Aligarh: An autumn of loneliness". The Hindu.
  4. ↑ "Aligarh 2016 Movie News, Wallpapers, Songs & Videos – Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama . Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Aligarh Movie Review". NDTVMovies.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Aligarh - Movie - Box Office India". www.boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  7. ↑ Hungama, Bollywood (26 February 2016). "Aligarh Box Office Collection | India | Day Wise | Box Office - Bollywood Hungama" . Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  8. ↑ "Not Manoj Bajpayee, Hansal Mehta says he initially wanted to cast Govinda in Aligarh: 'I don't know what happened…'". The Indian Express. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  9. ↑ "This is not a controversial film about homosexuality". Mumbai Mirror. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "'Aligarh' gets standing ovation in Busan, director Hansal Mehta elated". The Indian Express . 4 October 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  11. ↑ Halligan, Fionnuala (21 October 2015). "'Aligarh': Review". Screendaily.com. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Customer. "Buy cinema tickets for Aligarh | 2015 BFI London Film Festival". Whatson.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Mumbai film festival announces eclectic line-up". The Indian Express. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  14. ↑ "A different 'Marathi manoos'". Mid-day.com. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  15. ↑ "Why Aligarh is a very important film". Rediff.com. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  16. ↑ "A masterpiece of cinematic skills, 'Aligarh' has a lot to say about the way we perceive homosexuals". Firstpost. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  17. ↑ "Manoj Bajpayee wins best actor at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  18. ↑ "WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN 10TH ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS". 24 November 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  19. ↑ "Jagran Film Festival 2016". IMDb .
  20. ↑ "IIFA 2017: Awards return to US, New York hosted its 18th edition in July". The Indian Express. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  21. ↑ "62nd Jio Filmfare Awards 2017: Complete winners list". 14 January 2017.
  22. ↑ "62nd Jio Filmfare Awards 2017 Nominations". 10 January 2017.
  23. ↑ "Screen Awards 2017". IMDb .
  24. ↑ "Zee Cine Awards 2017". IMDb .
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